a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step…

November 3, 2012

Over Labor Day weekend, Karlee and I flew over to run the Kauai Half Marathon. So fun! I’d highly recommend this race to anyone looking to build a little vacation around an active event because Kauai is BEAUTIFUL. (I’ll be sharing more about the rest of the trip over on my Shoyu Sugar blog, so follow along there if you’re interested!)

Loved driving around Kauai with Karlee and Jasmine, spending time up on the North Shore and at the beach!

The race itself is really well organized! We did our packet pickup out at the Grand Hyatt Poipu and shopped around the event merchandise. I rarely buy stuff at expos anymore, but couldn’t resist a tank with a chicken on it – the unofficial mascot of the race since Kauai has so many wild chickens!

See they’re really serious about chickens on Kauai – they got their own paragraph in the 2 page race conditions handout!

Race day started out under a gorgeous almost-full moon, the air was a little chilly and clouds hovered in the distance. At the start line, runners were treated to fruit, bagels, water, and coffee! Definitely one of the most organized start lines ever.

As you line up in the start corral, the race begins with a line of conch shells blowing on the sidelines. It was a breathtaking way to start and made it really special. Karlee and I split up very early on and I made up my mind to just enjoy the course and take my time.

Around mile 4 it started raining, then pouring. As my shoes filled with water I couldn’t help but laugh. What else can you do? I saw others around me doing the same thing as we made the best of it and continued the uphill climb.

A beautiful course like this almost makes you forget about all the hills! (Almost!)

At mile 6, I stopped to snap a photo. By this point, you’ve been going uphill for 5 miles and you’ve entered the Tunnel of Trees, planted in 1911. It’s amazing to be surrounded by these 101 year old trees that continue up for almost a mile!

Next, we turned on the highway and looped back down through the tiny town of Koloa. I loved seeing residents out on their lawn chairs, cheering us on along the course. I did not, however, see any of the famous chickens.

Great course but it’s all uphill for the first half, then all downhill the rest! Not great for knees, although many people had record times!

When I started down the finishers chute, I thought I was delirious as a glimpsed the race clock. I hadn’t worn a watch and there were no clocks along the mile markers so I had no idea what pace I was keeping, and I knew I felt good but the time on the clock was a complete shock! It read 2:32 when I crossed and I immediately called my dad to check online for my chip time, which was 2:31, making this my fastest half marathon yet.

I had told Karlee I’d meet her at the finish line somewhere before 3 hrs so she was over by the beer garden (yes, BEER garden!), not expecting me for at least another 20 minutes or so… What a great way to end the race, with a PR!

The finishers medals are beer openers too!

I loved this race, and not just for the beer and potato chips at the finish (these people know the way to my heart!) but for the beauty of the course and the graciousness of the people. Staying a couple of extra days on Kauai was a no-brainer, and the perfect reward for finishing strong.

As of today, I’ve got about two and a half months to the Honolulu Marathon, so we’ll see if I can keep up the good timing! I’m also currently at $825 so there’s still a ways to go towards my goal of raising $2620 ($100 per mile) for the Leukemia Society.

Every year Macy’s holds an event called Shop for a Cause. It’s a way for you to do your part by donating to a favorite charity, and in return you receive a savings pass valid for 25% off at Macy’s stores nationwide for one day. And it’s coming up this Saturday, August 25th!

3) Head to Macy’s on Saturday 8/25 and shop til ya drop… You can use it all day and at more than one Macy’s. A lot of the “normal” exclusions are lifted for this event, and on some categories normally excluded you will receive 10% off. Each store also gives away a $500 Macy’s gift card – good luck!!

I had to really think about whether or not to do another Honolulu Marathon…

Last year, I completed my sixth Nike Women’s Half Marathon and, thanks to your generous support, raised over $3200 for the Leukemia Society! Although I had a decent race and remained injury-free for a change, I lost one of my childhood friends in a car accident just before the trip, and decided to take a few months off to just reevaluate my life for a bit… Life is short, people!

I didn’t do the full Honolulu Marathon, although I did my own “mini-marathon” by starting with everyone else, then stopping at my house (at about the 10k mark of the full marathon). I felt a bit naughty for breaking the rules and going off-course, but it was what I could manage at the time, and I had fun. Plus, I got to go home and shower and then head back to the finish to cheer everyone on. Win-win in my book.

I’ve done a total of four Honolulu Marathons so far – 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009. Through training for and completing these races, I’ve learned to both challenge myself as well as to be accepting of my body and its limitations. It’s been an amazing and life-changing experience, year after year. However, I have also learned that I really prefer the half marathon distance. That being said, I plan for this 2012 Honolulu Marathon to be my 5th and final full marathon, after that I’m going to stick to half marathons, maybe just doing a few more of them per year.

Although we’ll see – I’ve also learned to never say never. So far, all I know is that I’ve got a new pair of Brooks Adrenalines on the way (one of about a dozen I’ve worn out since 2005). It’s time to get ready for the 2012 Honolulu Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, December 9, 2012.

Thanks for joining me for yet another season of racing for a cure! If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my goal this year to raise $2500 for the cause, please visit my fundraising page at http://tinyurl.com/malia-TNT2012. And check back here to get training updates and upcoming fundraisers.

MAHALO FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I could not do this without you. Someday soon I hope that we do reach that ultimate finish line – a world without cancer.

Many of you might have seen the extensive national media coverage of the encouraging results of studies conducted by one of our renowned grant recipients, Carl June, MD, of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The studies, published in The New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine, demonstrate the use of gene transfer therapy to create T-cells that can kill cancer cells. The papers reported that two patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia achieved full remission and one achieved partial remission through this therapy.

While these are indeed exciting findings, we should bear in mind that these are very preliminary results – this was a Phase I trial involving only three patients. But we should all keep our fingers crossed that these results will continue with the Phase II trial!

LLS has played a vital role in advancing the critical work of Dr. June and all of the members of his team with an investment totaling nearly $15 million. LLS has funded Dr. June in various capacities since 1998, and other members of his team began receiving LLS funding as far back as 1992. Our funding has afforded June’s team the opportunity to pursue this innovative approach to treating patients with blood cancers.

This is exciting news on a national level, but even just here in Hawaii the funds we are raising are making a difference! A researcher in Hawaii has recently been approved for a $500,000 grant over a 5 year period. This is exciting news for our local chapter – we raise enough to help fund this important research and as you can see, new studies and treatments are being developed all the time. Techniques developed in Leukemia research frequently are used for treating other types of cancers as well.

One of my teammates, Kit Smith, is truly an inspiration to just about anyone he meets. He runs with a smile – always! – and even raced the Boston Marathon last year in a 4:15!! There was an awesome article written about him recently, which talks about the Mango Days 5k which is coming up this weekend.

From the article:

..one race, in particular, has a deep, personal meaning for him. It’s the Mango Days 5K race coming up on August 7, a benefit for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

This one is run in honor of Kit’s daughter, Patty, who died in June 1981, from malignant non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. A Punahou graduate, Patty had just started her freshman year at Stanford University when she lost her battle with cancer.

As an aspiring writer, Patty had kept a journal up until the time of her death. Kit and his wife, Margie, compiled these journal entries and published Patty’s “Mango Days” in 1993 — a painful, yet uplifting account of a teenager battling for her life.

“In 2003, the Mango Days 5K race was started by Neil Voje, a runner in our Team in Training program, who had read the book, and was inspired to create a fundraiser for the Society,” explained Jen McVeay, Hawaii branch director of LLS.

According to Kit, Patty was not among the fastest runners, but she had a passion for the sport. At age 17, she ran the Honolulu Marathon, not knowing at the time that she had been running with at least two tumors and would be diagnosed about three months later.

You can read by clicking here. And sign up for the Mango Days 5K here.

This urgent request came from a friend of a friend here in Honolulu – please help spread the word and contact them if you know of anyone with the right nationality who is willing to be tested!

A very special friend of mine who is a young mother of three needs our help quickly. She needs a bone marrow transplant ideally from someone who is 50% Japanese/50% Chinese. Her name is Barbie Ho (her husband is Keahi Tucker) and she has an agressive form of Leukemia. Please forward this email to as many people as possible, especially if they are the right nationality. If you are willing to be tested please contact Kinau at 808-753-2374 or kinauh@hawaii.rr.com, Barbie and Keahi will pay for the blood test and any medical expenses. It’s just a blood test and then if it is a match it is a simple process (not a hospital stay).

UPDATE: There will be a bone marrow drive tomorrow (7/13). 7:30am to 3:30pm @ Starbucks Ward Ave. Testing is as easy as swiping a cotton swab inside your mouth. Please spread the word.